Virginia's new congressmen say they're rarin' to go

WASHINGTON

Hampton Roads' newest members of Congress spent their first day on the job Tuesday accepting congratulations from family members, friends and an assortment of lobbyists, and declaring their eagerness to get down to business.

Two hours after he took the oath of office, Norfolk Rep. Glenn Nye's newly hired staffers were still arranging furniture and checking computer passwords as their boss pronounced himself "really ready to just get to work."

"Preparation is great, but we've done all the preparation we need to do," said Nye, who won the 2nd District seat formerly held by Thelma Drake.

Across the Capitol, freshman Sen. Mark Warner also was raring to go. Still awaiting an office assignment, he greeted supporters in a Senate committee room with campaign-style promises to get to work immediately on revitalizing the national economy, promoting energy independence and attacking climate change.

"It's an exciting time, and I tell you, I am more than ready," he said.

The first day of a new Congress traditionally is a mix of old and new, as children and grandchildren of freshman members wander the House floor and squirm through the swearing-in ceremonies. In the Senate, families are restricted to the gallery, but custom calls for former members to reappear on the floor for a round of back-slapping and story-swapping.

Nye's mother, who teaches at a Defense Department school in Italy, flew in for the occasion, and his father and stepmother made the trip from their retirement home in Montana. Warner's wife and three teenage daughters joined in his celebration and his dad came in from Connecticut.

Nye and Warner are part of a Democratic wave that could give President-elect Barack Obama the strongest legislative backing a new chief executive of either party has enjoyed since the 1960s. In Virginia, Democrats now hold six of the state's 11 congressional seats and both Senate seats.

But as they celebrated their party's new muscle on Tuesday, Mark Warner's Democratic supporters paid an unusual tribute to his predecessor, freshly retired Sen. John Warner.

Applause for the 81-year-old Republican, at first respectful, gradually swelled to a roar as he was introduced to about 200 people at a Mark Warner reception at mid-afternoon.

"Scattered among you, I'm sure, are a few of my voters," he joked later - to more cheers.

In separate tributes, Mark Warner and fellow Sen. Jim Webb hailed John Warner as a political adversary who never let partisanship prevail over what he believed was in the nation's or the state's best interest.

"I am succeeding John Warner but I'm not replacing him," Mark Warner said. "He is irreplaceable."

John Warner returned the compliment.

"We can only as a nation be independent and strong if there are people like yourselves who support candidates with ability and conviction," he told the crowd. In Webb and Mark Warner, "you've done it exceedingly well."

The two Warners once were political adversaries. But after John defeated Mark in a 1996 Senate contest, they built a friendship that both suggest should be a model for both parties.

John Warner stayed neutral as Mark Warner campaigned last fall for his seat against Republican Jim Gilmore. But his appearance Tuesday in the Senate chamber to stand alongside his successor at the swearing-in and his remarks at the reception left no doubt about his regard for the Democrat.

Dale Eisman, (703) 913-9872, dale.eisman@pilotonline.com